This invention relates to leather belts and more particularly to a leather belt utilized by weight lifters and body builders, the belt having a two piece construction permitting an increase in the yield of belts produced from a given hide.
Weight lifting belts are designed to have enlarged widths extending from the front of the pelvic or hip bones to, and including, the back portion relative to the connecting elements at the front of the body of a wearer. This design provides substantial support to the back while precluding discomfort and mobility at the front of the wearer. Thus, such belts, when ope and elongated have a wide central portion with narrow end portions, one end carrying the buckle with one or more tongues and the other other end carrying the cooperating tongue receiving fastening holes. Such belts are constructed of top grain leather for withstanding large forces placed on them by the abdominal muscles of a weight lifter when lifting great amounts of weight.
Conventionally, these belts are constructed from a single strip of leather cut by a die from a hide, the strip being elongated a greater amount than the required usable length of the belt so that one end portion can be folded back upon itself for securing the buckle between adjacent plies. The end which is folded back is thereafter secured to the adjacent ply by rivets or the like to secure the buckle in place. In otherwords, conventional weight lifting belts are constructed in a manner similar to dress or casual belts despite the widened central portion.
Generally, the width of the central portion of these belts is four to six inches with the end portion being approximately two to two and one half inches. The part of the hide from which the belts are cut obviously vary in size dependent upon the cow or steer from which the part of the hide is taken. Generally such hides range in size from approximately 54 to 60 inches along one side edge and approximately 26 to 30 inches along the other side edge. The belt is then cut having its axis of elongation extending from one of the shorter edges to the other. Thus, for an average hide approximately six conventional four inch wide belts can be produced while four conventional six inch wide belts can be produced as a certain amount of wasted hide is necessary for cuts made between adjacent belts due to the width of the dies. Clearly, if more belts can be cut from a given hide, the cost for producing each belt is reduced accordingly.